For six dates between October 20 and October 31, downtown Jackson's biggest events share one parking lot. The West Tennessee Farmers Market and The AMP at 91 New Market Street host a free yoga class, a 21-and-over fundraiser dinner, a trunk-or-treat, three nights of outdoor Shakespeare and an all-day Renaissance festival. The festival is billed as the first of its kind in Jackson.
The rest of downtown has a full calendar too. But this one address handles the biggest share of what's happening between now and Halloween, and seeing it that way makes the two weeks easier to plan.
By Day, It Is Still a Farmers Market
The site keeps its day job through all of this. The City of Jackson lists West Tennessee Farmers' Market hours as Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The city describes homegrown produce as available "spring through fall." No closing date for the 2026 season has been published, so October produce depends on what growers bring each week.
The market closes at 4 p.m., and most of the events below start after that. The farmers market and the evening venue share the grounds without overlapping. A Tuesday morning trip for produce and a Tuesday evening event can happen at the same address on the same day, and two of the dates below fall on Tuesdays.
Six Dates, One Address
Here is the New Market Street lineup in order. Each event is a bit bigger than the one before it.
| Date | Event | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., Oct. 20 | Yoga in the Park at The AMP | 5:30–6:30 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Sip and Savor Soiree | 6–9 p.m. | $125 general admission, 21+ |
| Tue., Oct. 27 | 4th Annual Halloween at the Market | 6–8 p.m. | Free |
| Thu., Oct. 29 & Fri., Oct. 30 | The Tragedy of Hamlet, Hub City Theatre Co | 7:30 p.m. | $0 general admission, $15 suggested donation |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | ShakesFest | 11 a.m.–7 p.m., per organizer | Free |
The first event is small. Downtown Jackson hosts Yoga in the Park at The AMP on Tuesday, October 20. Jennifer Emerson and Stacy Marshall of Yoga Center of Jackson lead a free, all-levels class in Slow Flow and Yin-style yoga. RSVPs go through the event's Luma page.
Four days later, the same grounds host a ticketed evening. The Sip and Savor Soiree runs Saturday, October 24, from 6 to 9 p.m. It's a 21-and-over event with Southern cuisine and unlimited beverages, and general admission is $125. The money goes to the West Tennessee Healthcare Hope and Healing Foundation, which is listed on the ticket page.
Tuesday the 27th Belongs to Families
The following Tuesday brings the event with the widest guest list. WNBJ 39 reports that the 4th Annual Halloween at the Market returns Tuesday, October 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. It's free and family-friendly, with trunk-or-treating, outdoor games, food trucks, prize giveaways and DJ Von Howard II on the music. WNBJ 39 names Jackson Walk Apartments and Downtown Jackson TN as sponsors.
That makes four years running for this trunk-or-treat. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year and ShakesFest takes the market grounds that day, so October 27 is the market's own costume night. Two days later, the stage at the same site turns into Elsinore.
Hamlet Opens Thursday, and Then the Festival Takes Over
The newest event of the season is Hub City Theatre Co's production of The Tragedy of Hamlet, performed outdoors on The AMP stage. The company's ShakesFest page lists performances on October 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m., followed by two more on Saturday, October 31, at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are handled through Purplepass. General admission is listed at $0, and the company asks for a suggested $15 donation "to support Hub City Theatre Co. and keep live theatre accessible in our community." The same page shows a separate assigned-seating option marked sold out, while the free general admission tier stays open for reservations.
The Thursday and Friday shows lead into the main event. Hub City Theatre Co calls ShakesFest "Jackson's first Renaissance arts festival." It's built around the free Hamlet production and fills The AMP with a full day of activity. The organizer's list of what to expect:
- Free Hamlet performances at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. on The AMP stage
- Live music from musicians, buskers and roaming entertainers throughout the day
- An Artisan Village of local makers, crafters and vendors
- Food trucks and vendors serving "festival fare with a Renaissance twist"
- Costume contests, stick horse races, audience games and festival prizes
- All-ages programming for families
One scheduling detail needs checking before you go. Hub City Theatre Co lists ShakesFest from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Downtown Jackson events calendar lists the same festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Neither window covers the 7:30 p.m. Hamlet that the organizer lists as one of the festival's two free performances. If you're planning around the late afternoon or the evening performance, confirm the timing with the theater company directly.
Put together, the 2 p.m. matinee, the costume contests and the stick horse races make the afternoon session the family option. The 7:30 p.m. show is the evening option for anyone who went to Halloween at the Market on Tuesday and wants a different kind of Saturday night.
Main Street Fills the Nights New Market Street Leaves Open
The market grounds are busy on six dates. The rest of downtown covers most of the other evenings, mostly along Main Street and Liberty Street, a short walk west and north of the market.
The stretch starts this coming Saturday. The Halloween Pop Up on Main Street was moved for weather and now takes place October 17, from 6 to 9 p.m., at 207 E. Main Street. That same night, The Jackson Symphony performs Dolly Parton's Threads: My Songs in Symphony at the Carl Perkins Civic Center, 400 S. Highland Avenue, at 7:30 p.m. A weather reschedule this close to Halloween also means other outdoor dates can move, so check the calendar the day of.
The following weekend fills the gaps around the soiree:
- Friday, Oct. 23. The Ghosts A-Walkin' Tour and Dinner runs downtown from 5 to 8 p.m. During the same hours, Love at Liberte at 215 N. Liberty Street has an acoustic set by music by KOTA, with Gylden Bake House taking part.
- Saturday, Oct. 24. Scarlet Rope Project Wingfest 2026 runs from noon to 3 p.m. at Hub City Brewing, 250 W. Main Street. It ends three hours before the Sip and Savor Soiree opens on New Market Street.
- Friday, Oct. 30. Hatchie River Conservancy Music and Brews 2.0 brings Lynn Taylor and the Barflies to Hub City Brewing from 6 to 9 p.m. It overlaps the second Thursday-Friday Hamlet performance, so that night has two options a few blocks apart.
- Saturday, Oct. 31. Hub City Brewing holds a Halloween costume party from 8 p.m. to midnight. It starts about half an hour after the final ShakesFest Hamlet begins.
Thursdays follow their own weekly pattern. Baker Bros. BBQ at 215 W. Main Street hosts Open Mic Night, run by Adam Johnson, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Hub City Brewing runs Singo Night with DJ Funcle at 7 p.m., free and open to all ages. Hub City Theatre Co also holds Improv Jams at First United Methodist Church, 200 S. Church Street, from 7 to 9 p.m. On October 29, those Thursday standbys share the evening with the opening Hamlet performance. The same theater company is on two downtown stages that night.
A Two-Week Plan Built Around 91 New Market Street
All of this fits on one short calendar. Tuesday the 20th is yoga at The AMP. Saturday the 24th is wings on Main at noon and the soiree on New Market at six. Tuesday the 27th is trunk-or-treat. Thursday the 29th through Saturday the 31st is Hamlet, ending with a full day of ShakesFest and an 8 p.m. party at Hub City Brewing. Mornings stay open for the market itself, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The Downtown Jackson calendar notes that it lists only events that take place downtown, and it remains the place to check for late changes.
Many of these evenings start within walking distance of 91 New Market Street, and that's something Jackson homeowners near downtown can point to when they sell. If you own a home within easy reach of The AMP and Main Street and want to know what that location is worth right now, Amy McLemore can help. Request a Free Home Valuation and Amy will put together a pricing and presentation plan built around what your corner of Jackson has to offer.
